Expecting
by Raven-DarkBlue
Summary: Nothing has prepared him for any of this-not really.


**Title:** Expecting  
**Series:** Vampire Knight  
**Word Count:** 1006  
**Rating:** PG  
**Characters, Pairings:** Zero/Yuki, mentions Kaname  
**Summary:** Nothing has prepared him for _any_ of this-not really.  
**Warnings:** sexual references, sap.

He's read all sorts of books - human-written and vampire-written alike - about what to expect when your significant other is... well, _expecting_. None of his supposed newfound knowledge has helped him in the slightest, however. He thinks he's wasted money and time, both of which he'll need when their baby is born.

He's read hundreds of pages-pages which have covered the first trimester to the last, pages that have gone into great detail about the labor (thinking about it makes him cringe), and pages that have meticulously described everything from diaper-changing to teeth-cutting.

Even with all of this information crammed into his brain, he doesn't feel the slightest bit prepared. He still doesn't know what to expect in regards to fatherhood.

After all, none of those books prepared him for Yuki's initial issues with nausea and vomiting. "Morning sickness" was what the books had called it, but for the first couple of months, his wife had had difficulty keeping _anything_ down (even blood), to the point that Zero had become insanely worried that she was not getting enough nourishment for _herself_, much less their child.

However, Yuki had been brave as always and she had managed, much to Zero's relief. There are foods that she has learned to stay away from, but blood is a necessity. Not that Zero minds in the slightest; he's happy to offer her anything that she wants or needs, even if it sounds downright ridiculous.

For example, he'd once brought her a quart of neopolitan ice cream, a large jar of pickles, and a medium order of french fries. She'd eaten it all in one sitting and had somehow kept it all down. Zero hadn't known where she'd put it.

No, he hadn't been prepared for the cravings, either.

None of the literature had even remotely prepared him for the rollercoaster that was 'pregnancy hormones' either. Yuki had been incredibly emotional during her first and second trimesters. One moment, she'd be happy and smiling, but within a span of ten minutes, she would be upset and crying. Then there were the times that she'd sit and stare off into space with a mixture of longing and despair in her eyes and she would whisper _his_ name - Kaname's - and it would break Zero's heart, though not for the same reason that it might have years ago.

(He misses him too-more than he's willing to admit.)

She's seven months along now, and the days of bursting into tears at the sight of a kitten are behind them, although now Zero has a different facet of his wife's pregnancy to contend with: her heightened libido. He hadn't expected _this_ in the slightest, though he can honestly say that he doesn't complain at all. He only worries, and he'll vocalize it from time to time.

_"What if we hurt the baby somehow? What if we manage to throw you into early labor?"_

She laughs when he asks questions like that in the middle of their lovemaking-she laughs in that sexy, irresistible way of hers and she effectively silences him either with a kiss or with wandering hands or with the sensuous shifting of her body against his, and the feigned 'battle' is lost before it has even begun (and Zero is more than happy to lose _each and every time_).

Tonight, however, he had not asked any questions. He had, in fact, initiated the contact and she had followed suit without hesitation.

Now they are resting side-by-side on their bed, catching their breath. Yuki seems utterly relaxed, but Zero begins to feel the tension seep back into his body the moment that he glances at her swollen belly. Very soon, their child will make his or her (they had decided that they wanted the gender of their baby to be a surprise) grand entrance, and then Zero will have to learn how to be a father for real. He's a father now, of course, but it will be different when the baby is born; it will be different when he can hold it and help feed it and change its diapers.

He doesn't know what to expect, in spite of everything he's read. He doesn't feel prepared in the slightest. And the irony of it all is that Yuki, who hasn't sat hunched over parenting books for hours at a time, will probably take to motherhood like a duck to water, no real preparation needed. She's excited and she _glows_, and Zero thinks that she's never looked more beautiful.

"It's going to be a boy," Yuki murmurs, one hand resting on her belly. She smiles widely at Zero. "I can tell. I bet he'll be just like you."

Zero touches her cheek and then moves his hand lower, resting it over hers and squeezing gently. "If it's a boy, I hope he's _better_ than me." He has his fair share of regrets, after all, and he doesn't want his child to suffer because of the choices that he himself has made through his life. He doesn't want his child to suffer, _period_.

"You're perfect exactly the way you are," Yuki tells him. "And you are a perfect father already, so I want you to stop worrying about what the future holds, okay?"

It's amazing how she knows him so well-she knows the worries that he doesn't even voice, that he never puts into words. "I-" he begins, but she interrupts him.

"Don't argue," she says, sticking her tongue out at him. "You're going to be fine. We all are."

She says it with such conviction and such faith that Zero can't help but believe her. He feels himself relax, and his hand drifts to her belly. He feels their baby's strong kick.

Maybe... it's okay to not know what to expect. Maybe it's okay to feel unprepared. Because they've made it this far, right? They'll make it through everything else, too.

_Yeah,_ he thinks as the baby kicks again, _we'll be just fine. All three of us._

~END~  
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End file.
